三相神(梵文:त्रिमूर्तिः trimūrti),在梵文中原意為“有三種形式”,是印度教的一个概念,“将宇宙的创造、维持和毁灭的功能分别人性化为创造者梵天,维护者或保护者毗濕奴,以及毁灭者或转化者濕婆” [1][2]。这三位神灵被认为是“印度教的三合一(the Hindu triad)”[3]或“伟大的三位一体”[4],或称为“梵天-毗濕奴-濕婆”。也有人認為這種三個神靈互相獨立的理論,應該稱之為三位三體論,當三個神都合為一體時,這個化身被稱為Dattatreya(页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)。
^For quotation defining the trimurti see Matchett, Freda. "The Purāṇas", in: Flood (2003), p. 139.
^For the Trimurti system having Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva as the transformer or destroyer. see Zimmer (1972) p. 124.
^For definition of trimurti as "the unified form" of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva and use of the phrase "the Hindu triad" see: Apte, p. 485.
^For the term "Great Trinity" in relation to the Trimurti see: Jansen, p. 83.
^Wolfgang Bauer, Irmtraud Dümotz, Sergius Golowin: Lexikon der Symbole. Heyne 2001